Besides keeping our basil plants under control by making batches of pesto (which freeze so well in tablespoon portions!), I'm also trying to pull out recipes from our piles that use the fresh sweet leaves while they are so handy on the deck. That is the main reason I choose this Lemon-Basil Chicken with Basil Aioli dish to make for dinner tonight!
With most recipes where you are putting herbs on a piece of meat, you are using their dried counterparts - however, this takes a turn from the norm and uses chopped fresh basil and green onions instead. Those two are brightened up with fresh lemon juice, tangy vinegar and lemon pepper. With everything being so wet, I did find it a little difficult to get the mixture to actually stick to the chicken, but in the end, most of it actually did stay put. While we were waiting on the coated chicken breasts to cook through, I started on the creamy basil Aioli.Aioli is a combination of garlic, oil and usually an egg yolk - so, basically a flavored mayonnaise. This recipe is the same basic concept, except the flavors are blended into already prepare mayonnaise. Those flavors come from a simple combination of fresh basil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. When the chicken breasts were done and had rested a few minutes, we sliced them and served the aioli on top. The aioli was quite potent when I tasted it by itself, but when eaten with the tender slices of chicken, the two melded together well without competing with one another. To round out the meal, I decided to serve these with some buttered and lightly salted egg noodles on the side. If you don't feel like serving this with pasta, you could also use the aioli as a spread and turn this into a fantastic chicken sandwich!
Liking the aioli shortcut!
ReplyDeleteWe BBQ'd a small tenderloin last night in between cloudbursts... peppered and spiced similar to your peppered tenderloin.... mmmmmm...so moist and flavourful! I've never done one on the grill ..it was wonderful... ..tx for that one....
ReplyDeletenow...to try this tasty chicken... yum!
I like the idea of turning this into a sandwich! The Basil Aoli sounds magnificent...combining some of my favorite flavors.
ReplyDeleteQuinn - Pretty snazzy huh?
ReplyDeleteBumblevee - Love pork on the grill!
Sharon - I'm really wanting to make it again as lunch, in sandwich form too.
Made this last night as we had company. It was SO good. Loved the aioli! I only wish I'd made more. Made it with the Garden Veggie Coucous from Picky Palate. It was so good.
ReplyDeleteKatrina - Great! Thanks for the feedback!
ReplyDeleteJoe, my basil plant is currently out of control, too! I had no idea basil freezes well, so hopefully that will help me out a bit. This dish also sounds like a great way to go!
ReplyDeleteAntonio - Pesto freezes well, but the raw basil leaves freeze fairly well too as long as you are not using them as a garnish or finishing sprinkle. I like to chop them up in tablespoon portions, add them to an ice cube tray and fill them up with water. This way I can just drop a cube or two in soup or whenever I want that fresh basil flavor! It will darken though, so it won't be good for a garnish.
ReplyDelete